- East Palace, West Palace
-
East Palace, West Palace Traditional 東宮西宮 Simplified 东宫西宫 Mandarin Dōng Gōng Xī Gōng Directed by Zhang Yuan Produced by Christophe Jung
Christophe Ménager
Zhang Yuan
Willy TsaoWritten by Wang Xiaobo
Zhang YuanStarring Si Han
Hu Jun
Zhao WeiMusic by Xiang Min Cinematography Zhang Jian Editing by Vincent Lévy Distributed by International:
Fortissimo Films
United States:
Strand ReleasingRelease date(s) Mar del Plata:
November 1996
Cannes:
May 9, 1997
United States:
July 24, 1998Running time 94 minutes Country China Language Mandarin East Palace, West Palace (Dong gong xi gong) is a 1996 Chinese film directed by Zhang Yuan starring Hu Jun, Si Han. It is also known as Behind the Forbidden City or Behind the Palace Gates.[1]
East Palace, West Palace is the first Mainland Chinese movie with an explicitly homosexual theme. The title of the movie derives from the two parks near the Forbidden City - the East Palace and the West Palace. The two parks, specifically their public washrooms, are notorious for being places of congregation for the homosexuals in Beijing during the night.[2]
The film was shot in the spring of 1996, when it was smuggled out of China for post-production in France.[3] It premiered at the Mar del Plata Film Festival in Argentina in November 1996 and at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival as part of the Un Certain Regard competition.[4][5]
Contents
Cast
- Si Han as A-Lan, the young gay man picked up by the police one night in Beijing.
- Hu Jun as Xiao Shi, the conflicted police officer who conducts A-Lan's interrogation.
See also
- Homosexuality in China
- Lan Yu, film by Stanley Kwan with homosexual themes
References
- ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence. "Movies - East Palace, West Palace (1997)". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/154960/East-Palace-West-Palace/overview. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
- ^ Spencer, Charles (20 February 2009). "An erotic relationship of convenience". The Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4710358/An-erotic-relationship-of-convenience.html.
- ^ Elley, Derek (1997-05-18). "East Palace, West Palace Review". Variety. http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117329796.html. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: East Palace, West Palace". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4830/year/1997.html. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ Elley, Derek (1997-05-18). "East Palace, West Palace Review". Variety. http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117329796.html. Retrieved 2008-10-24. and IMDB.com article on release dates.
External links
- East Palace, West Palace at the Internet Movie Database
- East Palace, West Palace at AllRovi
- East Palace, West Palace at Rotten Tomatoes
- East Palace, West Palace at Fortissimo Films
- East Palace, West Palace at Strand Releasing
Films directed by Zhang Yuan 1990s Mama (1992) • Beijing Bastards (1993) • Sons (1996) • East Palace, West Palace (1996) • Seventeen Years (1999) •2000s Hainan Hainan (2000) • I Love You (2002) • Jiang Jie (2003) • Green Tea (2003) • Little Red Flowers (2006) • Dada's Dance (2008) •Documentaries The Square (1994) • Demolition and Relocation (1998) • Crazy English (1999) • Miss Jing Xing (2000) •Cinema of China 
Categories:- Chinese films
- Mandarin-language films
- 1996 films
- Chinese LGBT-related films
- 1990s drama films
- Films set in Beijing
- Films directed by Zhang Yuan
- Chinese film stubs
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
